I just read a rather fascinating, yet strangely disturbing article in the Notre Dame Observer this morning. It opens with the line:

The Beatles. Bob Dylan. Buddy Holly. The Beach Boys. Blink-182.
That's right. I am proposing that it is time for Blink-182 to be officially elevated to "classic" status.

The author goes on to detail why exactly they deserve iconic status, which doesn’t have anything to do with Travis Barker’s plane crash and mainly consists of the fact that the writer liked them in junior high and when “All the Small Things” comes on at the bar people get excited. People also get excited when Flo Rida comes on, but we’re not comparing him to Elvis.

I am conflicted about this however, because I have to admit that Blink-182 was also my favorite bands in junior high, and actually well into my high school years. They’re the reason I started playing the guitar.

Unfortunately, as sentimental as that sounds, after I thought I was sweet because I learned 20 Blink songs, I promptly quit the guitar once I realized I couldn’t play anything besides note-picking and power chords. While I loved (and frankly still love) Blink to death, I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that in terms of actual talent, they suck (except Barker). The same goes for other freshmen year classics like Limp Bizkit’s “Rollin” or Korn’s “Freak on a Leash.” I may crack a smile and start rocking out when one of these “new classics” comes on, but I’d deserved to be crucified if I ever started comparing Fred Durst to John Lennon.

There’s a difference between “nostalgia” and “classic,” and Notre Dame’s “Observer Scene” writer would do well to remember that.